New Beginnings
by EvenAngelsFall22
Summary: Four broken hearts, two contrived situations. A Fabulous Four Valentine's Day story just a few days behind schedule.


**_Disclaimer_**: I don't own General Hospital or its characters.

**_Summary_**: Four broken hearts. Two contrived situations. A Fabulous Four Valentine's Day story, just a few days behind schedule.

**_Author's Note_**: I've been trying to write this story for over a month now, and just haven't had the motivation, but then I got on the site today and saw way too many JaSam or Liason stories and that was enough for me to get my butt in gear and write this for all of us Carson and Journey fans. Special thanks to CaliBabe for helping me come up with a few parts of this story!

As for keeping with current storylines… I'm going to switch things up a little bit… let's say AJ was just killed, and Courtney is a suspect, the kidnapping never happened, and Jason wasn't shot. Carly and Sonny are still separated, Sam is -sigh- still around, as is Jax.

You're being warned now, this is a Valentines Day piece, so it's 100 fluff and cheese… I'm just saying. I'd really appreciate any feedback you have!

* * *

"Carly I really don't think this is a good idea." Courtney Matthews sighed as her best friend dragged her into Harbor View Towers. She had been on her way to meet Jax for dinner when Carly showed up and said she needed her help with something. In the car, Carly sprung on her that they were going to the Penthouse, and that while Carly picked up a few things from Sonny's maybe Courtney could go and offer her sympathies to Jason over AJ's death. 

"Sure it is," Carly said easily as they waited for the elevator doors to open. Courtney missed the wink Carly offered to one of the guards as they stepped in. "AJ was a big part of your lives, you should at least talk about it with Jason."

Courtney sighed. "What am I supposed to say to him?" she demanded, watching the numbers climb higher as the elevator moved up. "I'm sorry your brother died but I'm more sorry that the bastard never divorced me?"

"That would be one way to start," Carly agreed.

"You don't get it!" Courtney said, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Carly, because of AJ, Jason and I were never actually married! How do I go in there and lie about being sorry that the person responsible for ruining my life is finally out of it for good?"

"You're looking at this the wrong way entirely," Carly said as the elevator doors opened. "Think of it as a new start. You and Jason can start all over again. You know, a new beginning"

"Except for this!" Courtney raised her hand, showing off the sparkling diamond from Jax.

Carly rolled her eyes. "Details," she said dismissively. "Hey Max," she said cheerfully, winking at him as well.

"Happy Valentine's Day ladies," he greeted with a smile. He stepped aside as Carly knocked on Jason's door. A few seconds later it opened and Jason appeared. Courtney was surprised, as always, at how even the sight of him threw her heart into her throat. _Not that it mattered anymore_, she thought, as she forced a smile onto her face.

"Hi," she said softly, when she realized Carly wasn't going to say anything first.

"Hey," he responded, nodding a greeting at the two women before him.

"Is Sam around?" Carly asked, knowing full well that she wasn't, as she pushed her way into the penthouse and looked around. Courtney gave Jason an apologetic look as he let her into the apartment as well.

"No, she's gone for the day. What do you need Carly?"

"Actually, I just have to run across the hall and grab some things of Michael's that were left in the penthouse, but Courtney was on her way over to see you so we came together," Carly said brightly, a huge smile on her face. "So, I'm just going to pop over there real quick and I'll be back," she said as she edged towards the door. "Two minutes," she said over Courtney's protests and before they knew it, she was out the door.

Courtney sighed and closed her eyes. "Her subtlety is getting better, isn't it?" she asked sarcastically.

Jason laughed. "It'll never be one of her strong points," he agreed. "So what brings you by?"

She shook her head. "Carly," she said simply. "Although, I have thought about coming over sometime," she conceded. "So we could talk about AJ."

Before either could say anymore, strange noises came from out in the hallway. Jason and Courtney's eyes connected in fear and they both rushed to the door just in time to see the doorknob fall to ground.

"Carly, what the hell are you doing?" Jason yelled.

"Oops," came the muffled reply. "Sorry, I was trying to lock the door, but you know, Max was right, this was way better."

"Carly honestly!" Courtney tried not to scream. "Open the door!"

"Yeah, I'll get right on that," Carly replied and Courtney just rolled her eyes. She should have known sooner or later something like this would happen.

"Carly!" They could hear her walking away, the sound of the elevator doors opening, signaling her departure. Again, somewhat muffled, but Courtney could hear Carly laughing as she repeated her phrase from before.

"New beginnings!"

"I'm so sorry," Courtney said, turning to Jason. "I had no idea she was going to do this."

"Oh trust me, I know a Carly scheme when I see one," Jason said, kneeling to inspect the door. "Max?" he called.

"She took the doorknob with her," Max said with a chuckle. "And I'm under strict orders to leave you in there for at least an hour."

"Max please!" Courtney pleaded.

He only laughed again. "Don't worry, Mrs. Corinthos is getting a taste of her own medicine as we speak. I'm going on break now, and there won't be anyone in the hallway for at least an hour." They listened as his footsteps faded.

"Are we really stuck?" Courtney asked, not wanting to believe that out of all of Carly's insane ideas, this was going to be the one that actually worked.

"I think so," Jason grudgingly surmised. He stood up.

"Great," Courtney grumbled. "I have to call Jax and let him know that I'm going to be late for din—" She sighed. "Carly took my purse with her," she realized.

"My phone's not here either," Jason said, staring where it had lain on the desk. He picked up the main phone. "She actually cut the phone lines," he said incredulously.

"Of course she did." Courtney sat down on the sofa and was surprised at how familiar the cushions felt as she settled back. "Looks like we're stuck here."

"Looks like it. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Sure." Courtney looked curiously at the door again. "What do you think Max meant by Carly's getting a taste of her own medicine?"

"Thanks Max," Carly whispered as she slid the broken doorknob into her purse along with Jason's cell phone. "That went a lot smoother than I think. Did you get the phone line taken care of like I asked?"

"Sure did Mrs. C.," Max said with a smile. "Where are you off to?"

"I've got a few errands to run but I'll be back in time to get those two out of there." She smiled at him again. "Thanks so much Max."

"You're welcome." He watched as she headed towards the elevator, signaling inconspicuously at the other guard in the hallway.

Carly waited as the doors opened and then stepped inside. The doors had just about closed when Max suddenly pulled them open again so someone else could get inside.

"Hey there," she said, a surprised look on her face. Before the elevator shut she could have sworn she saw another smile cross over Max's face.

"Hey," Sonny said. "What brings you over here?"

"Came to see Jason," was her casual reply. "How about you?"

"Still grabbing a few things from the penthouse," he said, nodding to the box he had set at his feet.

"Oh." Carly was about to say something else when the elevator shook a few times and came to a screeching halt. The lights flickered off and on before going out completely and the emergency lights came on. "What just happened?"

"I'm not sure," Sonny said. He pushed a few buttons but nothing worked. "I think we're stuck," he said seconds later.

"No really?" Carly shot back. She sighed and picked up the emergency phone. "Hello?"

"Hello?"

"Max, the elevator's not moving," Sonny said, taking the phone from Carly. "What? Oh, I see. What's that?" He turned to Carly with an amused expression on his face. "Did you really lock Courtney and Jason in Jason's apartment?"

"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" Carly wrenched the phone away again. "Max, what are you trying to pull?" She stared at the phone in disbelief. "He hung up on me," she said.

"He said the elevator would be up and running in an hour," Sonny said. He cocked his head sideways. "He also told me to remind you of new beginnings?"

Carly slid down to the floor with a thump. "I can't believe him. He's using my own idea against me!"

"And what idea was that?" Sonny asked, taking a seat next to her.

"So have you been to see the Quartermaines' yet?" Courtney asked, as she took the cold beer from Jason.

He shook his head, sitting down next to her. "I talked to Monica at the hospital, but not Alan. She says they're managing, but she didn't look so good. I guess that's to be expected though."

Courtney nodded. "I'm sorry, I should have told you that earlier," she said. "I mean, I of all people know that you didn't really get along with him, but he was still your brother."

"And your husband," Jason noted. "Courtney, why didn't you come to me when you found out?"

"And tell you what? Hi Jason, oh guess what? I heard from AJ and technically, I'm still married to him so our marriage wasn't even real?" She shook her head. "Those aren't easy words to say Jason."

"Yeah, I guess not," Jason said taking a drink from his bottle. "You shouldn't have gone down there yourself though. I would have taken care of everything."

"I know," she said with a sad smile. "But that's not your job anymore." She fiddled with the mouth of her bottle. "Tell me the truth Jason, do you think I killed AJ?"

"So you really think that's going to work?" Sonny asked, chuckling as Carly finished her story. "I mean, they've both moved on, they seem pretty happy now."

Carly shook her head. "Believe me Sonny, those two are a long way from done, they just needed a little push in the right direction."

"And who better to give them that push," he teased.

She just shrugged. "Laugh all you want but at the end of the day, you'll see." She sighed and leaned her head against the wall. "I'm starving," she complained.

"It seems Max has been very busy," Sonny said, looking in the box he had brought in with him. He held up a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates.

Carly laughed. "Think he's trying to tell us something?"

"I think he's trying to say that Courtney and Jason aren't the only ones who aren't over yet," Sonny said, grinning as he held out the box of candy.

"No," Jason said slowly, shaking his head. "I know you didn't kill AJ. You're not that kind of person."

"It's not like I haven't almost killed before," she pointed out.

"Courtney no one but me and Sonny know that it was you that shot Brian Beck. That information isn't going anywhere. You didn't kill AJ and you're going to be cleared of any suspicion."

She shook her head. "I'm not sorry he's dead," she whispered. "Does that make me a bad person? I haven't liked AJ for quite awhile now, and when I found out I was still married to him, I _hated _him Jason. With one sentence, he took everything that had ever been good in my life and he turned it bad. He tarnished everything and I hated him. I wanted him dead."

"But you didn't kill him," Jason said. "Court, you can wish all the people in the world dead, but that doesn't mean you're responsible when they die."

"You're right." She shook her head. "God, what am I doing? I'm sitting here and telling you I'm glad your brother's dead, I'm so sorry Jason."

He shook his head. "You were right when you said AJ wasn't really my brother, I haven't thought of him that way in a long time. And after this last stunt of his, Courtney, after everything he's done to you, I wanted to kill him myself."

"Looks like someone saved us both the trouble then," she said sardonically. "But I'm the only one who might go down for it."

"You won't," Jason promised. "Do you want another beer?" he asked, standing up. "We've still got some time to kill."

"Sure," she agreed, with a slight laugh. "You know, I've only ever drank beer when I'm around you. I doubt Jax even knows what it tastes like, he always seems to think I need the most expensive champagne he can find."

"Jax doesn't know you at all," Jason said, handing her another bottle.

Carly giggled. "Max sure knows his chocolates," she said as she popped another one into her mouth.

"That he does," Sonny agreed. "You took the last almond one?" he asked.

She nodded. "But only after you ate the last caramel one!" she said through a mouthful.

"Fair enough." Sonny held up the bottle of wine. "It's too bad Max forgot wine glasses," he said, uncorking the bottle.

"Eh, that's never stopped me before," Carly said, taking the bottle from him and raising it to her lips. "He's got good taste in wine too," she said.

"Very classy," Sonny laughed.

"Look around Sonny. We're sitting on the floor of a stuck elevator, eating candy and drinking wine from the bottle. If you're looking for class, you aren't gonna find it here."

"Sure I have," Sonny replied, taking the bottle from her, their hands touching as he did.

"Yes he does," Courtney insisted.

"Oh really? Does he know that you hate snakes? Or that you'd rather spend an evening watching shows on the Food Network then actually going to a fancy restaurant?" Jason picked up the cue stick off of the pool table and lining up a shot. He sunk a few balls before speaking again. "Does he know you cry at soap operas or that the smell of peppermint makes you sick?"

"How well does Sam know you?" Courtney shot back, as she realized Jax knew none of the things Jason had just mentioned. She stood up and took the stick from Jason, sinking a few balls on her own. "Does she know you only play pool when you don't know what else to do with your hands or that your favorite—" She stopped as Jason took the stick back from her.

"She doesn't know me near as well as you do," he said, his voice so low she could barely hear him. Their eyes locked and for a moment and all Courtney could think about was the last time they made love in this exact same spot.

"So why are you with her?" she asked softly, swallowing the lump in her throat.

Jason inched closer, laying the stick down on the table behind her. "Why are you still with Jax?"

Carly stared at Sonny's hand, which was still touching hers. "They look strange, don't they?" she asked, holding their hands side by side.

"What do you mean?" Sonny asked.

"They look naked," she murmured, rubbing her thumb over his empty ring finger. She closed her eyes, remembering the pain of taking her own rings off.

"You're right," he agreed, wrapping his hand around hers. "I've missed you Carly," he said, wondering if maybe drinking wine from the bottle had been a mistake, as it seemed to be affecting him already.

Carly closed her eyes. "Can we really do this again Sonny?" she asked shakily. "Because I can't go through all the hurt again. I barely got through it this last time and I'll be damned if you make a fool of me one more time."

Sonny brought his hand up to her face. "Can you promise me I won't be made a fool of either?" he asked, bringing a smile to her face. "That's what I thought. Come on Carly, you've missed me too, haven't you?" He brought his mouth to hers in a kiss that tasted of red wine and chocolate.

Courtney took a deep breath, knowing she should move away from Jason but she couldn't. She damned Carly for putting her in this situation, and damned Jason for knowing her so well, but mostly she damned herself for still feeling this way being this close to him. "What are you doing?" she whispered, opening her eyes and staring directly into his.

"Proving no one's ever going to know you better than me," came his reply, his breath hot on her ear. Before Courtney could say anything his mouth covered hers and she felt herself automatically respond. Her arms found their way around his neck, pulling him closer as his hands slid under her shirt, grasping her waist. He lifted her up onto the pool table with ease and her legs wrapped around him as she fell back onto the green felt.

She wanted to pull away, to stop him, but she couldn't. He was right, Jax never knew to kiss her or to touch her like that, and even if he did, there's no way it would compare to being with Jason.

Jason pulled away, and she whimpered a little, as the connection was broken. She opened her eyes and saw him staring down at her. "I can't change what AJ did," he whispered. "I can't give you back what we lost." He brushed a strand of hair off of her face. "But I can start over Courtney. I can give you the life you deserve. That we deserve."

Her eyes filled with tears as she listened to him. "Promise?" she found herself asking.

"I promise," he said, bringing his mouth back down to hers.

"This is great chocolate," Carly declared, as she picked the last piece out of the box and snuggled back up against Sonny. "Remind me to thank Max when he finally lets us out of here."

Sonny chuckled and dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder. "Remind to give him a raise," he said, wrapping his arms securely around her. "Speaking of… I bet he starts this elevator up anytime now, so unless you want all of my men to see you like this," he grinned, gesturing to her black negligee. "Maybe you should get dressed again."

She giggled as she reached for her dress and slid back into it, twisting so Sonny could zip her up. "Is there still any furniture left in that penthouse?" she asked. "A bed maybe?"

"There might be," Sonny mused, as he straightened his tie. "We could always find out."

Sure enough, just then the lights flickered back on and the elevator resumed its activity.

"Good timing," Carly said appreciatively with a smile. She fastened her shoes and waited for the elevator doors to open. "So do you think Jason and Courtney had the same luck as we did?" she asked mischievously as they stepped out into the hallway.

"It's been over an hour," Courtney murmured, lifting her head up off of Jason's chest. "When do you think your door will be opening?"

"If I had my way, not anytime soon." Jason grinned at her, bringing her back tight against him. He was about to kiss her again when they heard Carly laughing in the hallway.

"How are you guys doing in there?" she called, banging on the door. "You're not going to kill me when I get this door open, are you?"

"If we say yes you won't open the door," Courtney said with a laugh. She scrambled up, retrieving her clothing from all over the living room.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Courtney could almost picture Carly rolling her eyes. "Give me 5 minutes and Max here will have the door open for you."

Courtney tried to comb out her hair with her fingers and straighten her clothing but before she knew it, the door swung open, revealing not only Carly, but Max and Sonny as well. And from both Carly and Sonny's disheveled appearances, Courtney didn't feel so bad about her own.

"So what's going on in here?" Carly asked, sweeping her eyes over the room.

"Oh you know," Jason said, coming up next to Courtney and pulling her against him. "Just a friendly game of pool."

"Right," Carly said, noticing Courtney's blush. "Is that all?"

"Oh shush Carly, you know you're little plan worked," Courtney said with a laugh.

Carly's face lit up. "I knew it would," she said, trying not to sound too excited or surprised.

"Oh don't be so smug," Sonny teased. "You weren't the only one with a plan, Max deserves some thanks too," he said.

"What did Max do?" Courtney asked.

"Locked us in the elevator," Carly admitted. She turned and smiled at Max. "I had no idea you were such a softie Max!"

Max just shrugged his shoulders. "It hasn't been the same without you or Ms. Matthews around," he said. "Like you said, everyone just needed a little push to get things back to the way they need to be." He stepped out into the hallway and reappeared with a bottle of champagne and some glasses. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do, and I think you four have something to celebrate." He set the glasses and the bottle down on the desk and disappeared from the room.

"Well, what should we toast to?" Courtney asked, as Sonny handed her a glass, along with everyone else.

"Happy Valentines Day?" Jason suggested logically, only to be met with an eye roll from Carly.

"Please, we can do better than that," Carly said, slipping her arm around Sonny's waist. "I know!" She cleared her throat and raised her glass.

"Here's to us, we've definitely been through some bad times, but the good seem to outweigh the bad, and we're very lucky that we have something different to look forward to."

"So again, we celebrate the past, because without it, we wouldn't be where we are right now, and we celebrate the future." Carly's eyes twinkled as she spoke.

Courtney rolled her eyes because she knew what was coming next.

"Here's to the four of us, and our new beginnings."


End file.
